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COVID-19 survivor in Medan gets reinfected a month after recovery
Ori Kurniawan is the first person known to have been reinfected in North Sumatra and is now under isolation at a hospital in Medan.
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A medical officer treats a patient suspected of COVID-19 at the H. Adam Malik General Hospital in Medan, North Sumatra on March 18. (Antara/Septianda Perdana )
A patient in Medan, North Sumatra, has reportedly tested COVID-19 positive again after a month of recovery.
Ori Kurniawan is the first person known to have been reinfected in North Sumatra and is now under isolation at a hospital in Medan.
Ori, 25, who works as an aide for North Sumatra deputy governor Musa Rajekshah, had recovered from COVID-19 before he was declared positive for a second time on Monday after taking a swab test at Adam Malik Hospital in Medan.
North Sumatra COVID-19 rapid response task force spokesperson Aris Yudhariasyah said it was the first reinfection in the province.
“[He] is the first COVID-19 patient [in North Sumatra] to have experienced reactivation and reinfection [of the virus], but where he got reinfected is still unclear,” Aris told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Read also: WHO says you may catch coronavirus more than once
According to Aris, ever since Ori was eventually declared negative last month, he had not been self-isolating but instead went to his hometown in Bireun regency, Aceh.
Aris said the man had allegedly met with his colleagues when he was at home.
“Currently, the Bireun Health Agency is tracking down people who have had direct contact with this patient. They’re still conducting the tracing,” Aris said.
Ori was declared to have recovered from COVID-19 by doctors at Adam Malik Hospital in Medan on April 6 after undergoing isolation since March 25. He was believed to have contracted the virus while on duty, accompanying Musa Rajekshah on his official trip to Jakarta.
After being declared reinfected, Ori was hospitalized at Martha Friska Hospital in Medan.
Read also: North Sumatra may see spike in poverty, unemployment as pandemic damages economy: BI
When asked about the issue, Musa said he was shocked to hear that one of his aides had been reinfected with the virus. He said he had told Ori to take rest after recovering from his first infection.
“He asked my permission to go home to see his parents in Aceh and to take rest and I allowed it,” said Musa, who has yet to meet with Ori.
Musa said he had told his aide to take a swab test again before returning from Aceh. The test came back positive.
“Ever since he took the swab test, I have not met him and he has yet to be allowed to go to work,” Musa said. (asp)
